Yeah, I've Got Issues But You've Got Them Too
by bodysurfer27
Summary: Ben overhears Mal and Carlos talking about how Mal misses the Isle. Afraid he's going to lose her, Ben will do whatever it takes to keep her in Auradon and by his side. Even if he has to punch a few paparazzi in the face to get his point across.


**A/N:** **Here is my second attempt at Bal fanfiction. It seems I was afraid to write this pairing for absolutely no reason, considering I've had two brilliant and talented people challenge me to write two different Bal stories in two days.**

 **This one-shot was requested and co-written by twilightandpercyjacksonlover30**

 **twilightandpercyjacksonlover30: Thank you so much for requesting this and helping me write it. I hope I made you proud and your heart melt with all the Bal fluffiness this little fictional world has to offer.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Melissa de la Cruz or her _Isle of the Lost_ trilogy. I do not own Disney or their _Descendants_ franchise. And I certainly do not own any settings/characters/some of the dialogue/idea.**

* * *

Time. Four little letters, one word, and one thing that Ben never seemed to have enough of these days. Even leading up to his coronation, every time Ben walked through the halls of Auradon Prep it was because he was racing the clock to get somewhere. If even one little activity ran just a hair too long, it severely put Ben behind on every other Kingly activity he had planned for the day. He never had time to casually stroll down the hallway of Auradon Prep without looking like the White Rabbit.

Ally loved to give him a laugh whenever he came bounding down the hall in a frantic yet calm and controlled state of panic for being late for one thing or another.

So for his council meeting to end not five but almost an hour early was unheard of. To think the King of Auradon had nowhere to be presently was absurd.

But there he stood at the top of the stairs with a large beaming smile and happiness radiating in his eyes. Now he just had to make sure Mal was in her dorm room and his afternoon would be complete.

Heaving a large sigh of excitement, he squared his shoulders and raised his chin, keeping that beaming smile on his face as he made his way down the hallway. Only...his smile began to falter at the sound of Mal's voice coming from farther down the hallway.

The blonde haired Lady of the Court never raised her voice. Not even when the paparazzi hounded her and swarmed her like the other day. She always took everything in stride and brushed even the coldest comment from her shoulders. But to hear her talking so high pitched and somewhat agitated had his feet moving faster down the hallway in his familiar brisk attempt of a run.

He slowed to a halt just outside of the door, his ears straining for any sound of a struggle. He did not pay attention to the dorm number, too anxious about Mal's safety to truly observe his surroundings. His happiness at the idea of spending time with her was now replaced with the idea of her safety.

Of course, being an Isle kid, Mal knew how to handle herself.

"You don't have people taking a photo of you every single time you open your mouth to say boo!" Her voice definitely held a panicked edge to it, and it only increased his anxiety to get her out of this stressful scene. "I mean...it's not that I could even say, 'Boo,' but, you know what I..." Her words trailed off in a much softer tone. Her silence gave his mind a chance to playback her words. His blood suddenly ran ice cold through his veins and his once happy smile turned into an angered scowl.

 _What the Hades are reporters doing here? Fairy Godmother said she was handling it. They can't step one foot in the dorms without the enchanted suits of armor noticing._

"Carlos? Don't you ever miss screaming at people and just making them run away from you?" Her quiet question shattered his thoughts.

Mal, his girlfriend, went to talk to Carlos about how to deal with the paparazzi. Mal, Lady of the Court, didn't trust him enough to voice her thoughts to him. Instead, she went to Carlos.

Ben's heart sank to the pit of his stomach. His ears vaguely registered a low growl rumble his chest. The back of his head gently hit the wall and he closed his eyes in shame. He licked his lips before releasing a silent sigh. He opened his eyes then brought a hand up so his fingers ran through his hair in disappointment.

So lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice the rest of the conversation until a flash of blonde caught his eye. He blinked, shaking his head to clear it.

Her blonde locks fell down her back in big voluminous curls. Her mint green dress held three levels of fringe-like fabric. The dress rested at her knees like all other royal protocol dresses were supposed to, though he couldn't help but secretly miss the way she adamantly protested for purple to become a statement color all those months ago. Her high heeled pumps were the same shade of green and gave her a solid three inches to her height. Making her five-foot two frame appear more feminine and princessy.

"You scratch your own all the time." She called out from the doorway, her voice no longer panicked or vulnerable as it was before. Now it was back to her regular cold and teasing tone she held when talking to one of the other Isle kids. "I don't see what the big deal is."

He scrambled to straighten himself as he pushed himself off of the wall. He lowered his hand from his hair to his side. Squaring his shoulders once again, he cleared his throat just as she spun on her heel. She whirled around to face him.

Her dress swirled around her. The green fabric rippled in waves, momentarily distracting him from his self-loathing. His eyes took their time raising from the hem of her dress to stop at the pendant around her neck. The Peridot stone sparkled in the sunlight, just like he knew it would when he picked it out then left it in the small wrapped box on her dorm bed last month. It seemed Evie found a complimenting fabric to pair with the stone. Tearing his gaze away from his present, his eyes continued to travel up and up, past her chest, up the pale milky white skin of her throat, tracing the sharpness of her jaw until he met the facial feature he loved the most.

Her intense eyes were weary, until they widened in realization and became softer upon scanning his face. The Jade green color dulled from shock to relief at his presence. Air whooshed out of her parted bubblegum pink lips in a soft gasp.

"Don't scare me like that." She lightly slapped his chest, a scowl adorning her face and pink hinting her cheeks. "I almost punched you." Even though she scowled, her eyes morphed from relieved to concerned. "Are you okay?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm..I'm fine. Just looking for you."

"Wait, aren't you supposed to be in some council meeting?" Her eyes widened and her hands rested on his chest. "You need to go. You're gonna be super late."

"Actually it ended early. I thought maybe we could spend some time together." He placed his hands tentatively on her waist. Her head tilted to the side and a soft smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Oh...did you have a place in mind?" Her eyebrow rose as she stared at him, causing his breath to hitch in his throat. He coughed nervously.

"No! No...I don't. Listen, Mal...I think we should talk." His words came out slow, like he was thinking through what he was saying. She took a step back and his hands fell from her hips to rest back at his sides, her eyebrows furrowing together in confusion.

"About what? Not scaring people by lurking in hallways?"

"About us." He cringed slightly, the words tasting sour on his tongue. But this was important and he wasn't going to brush this off. No problems were solved by pretending they did not exist. The Isle of the Lost-if anything-only proved that point.

Mal's bubblegum lips parted again, this time to suck in a sharp breath of air. Her heart began to race and her breathing quickened. Suddenly, her throat began to close. The air around her seemed warmer than it did a few seconds ago. A weird tingling sensation pricked the back of her neck and something strong pushed against her rib cage. Her ears started to ring and she struggled to breathe. Her shoulders shook and Ben's mouth moved but no sound came out.

"Hey, Mal! Mal!" Finally his words broke through the ringing, if only for a moment.

"D-Did I do something wrong? I..." She attempted to swallow, only for her throat to close even more.

"You didn't do anything wrong." And it was a true statement...for the most part. Even through her panicking, she tried to keep her head held high.

"Well, then just on with it." She squared her shoulders back, hoping he wouldn't notice her body tremble.

"Get on with what?'

"You know...the thing." She spat out, hoping Ben wouldn't hear the wavering in her words.

"What thing?"

"You know the thing." She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "The you don't want to be with me anymore thing." She sneered.

"You mean a break up?" He sounded offended but Mal took it as a sign of her stupidity. "Why would you think that?"

"Isn't that how you Auradonians start a conversation like this?" Now Mal was getting offended, her panic twisting itself into something more familiar: anger.

"Well...traditionally yes." She opened her mouth. "But in this case no. No. Mal, no. I do not want to break up."

"Then what-"

"It's normal for couples...for people in relationships to talk to each other about their problems." He interrupted. She promptly snapped her mouth shut, which he took as a sign to continue explaining. "Mal, if you're having any sort of problem with school or with people it's okay to come talk to me."

"Is it, Ben?" She said softly, so softly in fact that if Ben did not receive his father's magical properties (some of them anyway) there's no way he would've heard her.

"Yes. It is."

"Then you have no problem coming to me?"

"None whatsoever."

"Then why didn't you tell me about your meeting with Queen Elsa? Or the one with that zombie girl from Seabrooke?"

"I'm sorry. Queen Elsa called an emergency council meeting to deal with some ice problem. And that 'Zombie Girl' isn't a zombie. She's dating one. Not that it matters. She's fighting for Auradon to recognize zombies as citizens like the kids from the Isle."

"And I get that. I do. But the least you could've done was send a text saying you wouldn't be able to make it to our study date." She stopped talking, closing her eyes as a small grimace crossed her face.

"Mal...I...I'm so sorry." She didn't need to open her eyes to picture that broken look on his face.

"I know." She opened her eyes anyway, yet kept them on the floor. "See? This is why I don't like Auradon. Because of you and your stupid sad face and those big sad eyes and that stupid sad tone to your voice and it's not like the Isle. At least there, nobody cared about feelings." She spat the word out like it was acid burning her tongue.

"But it's not healthy to not care about feelings."

"No! It's not healthy to care about feelings. On the Isle you only look out for yourself. And maybe your crew when your parents aren't looking. At least on the Isle nobody expected me to wear a frilly dress or act like a prissy pink princess." She sneered, her eyes resembling glowing embers. "Nobody expected anything from me because I owned the Isle. I was the most villainous of them all. And you know what Ben? Sometimes I miss it. I miss being able to put people in their places. I miss having people run from me because at least it's better than them walking all over me." Her chest heaved with each and every breath. Her green eyes were shining with magic and the air around them fizzled and crackled with power.

"Are they having issues?" Dude whispered from the doorway, though not very quietly. He was able to snap Mal out of her anger and she took a step back from Ben's horrified expression. "I feel like they're having issues."

"Dude!" Carlos scolded as he bent down to scoop up the pup.

"It's fine. Ben has a meeting and I have a dress fitting with E to get to." She straightened her shoulders out of habit.

"No! It's not fine. Nothing about this is fine. We need to work through this because it hurts me to know you miss going back to the Isle. It physically hurts to know I'm not making you happy. That you don't feel like you belong in Auradon."

"I don't belong!" She fired back, forgetting they had an audience. Her eyes began to simmer, the fire inside of them breathtakingly beautiful and disturbing. "You really want to know the truth?" She laughed, a dark and pitiful and broken laugh. Her hands gripped her gorgeous blonde locks by her non-split ends. "This color isn't me, Ben." She let go of her hair to pat the sides of her dress. "This dress isn't me. The shoes aren't me. This life isn't me." Her hands fell down to her sides. "Maybe Auradon isn't meant for me."

"Am I meant for you?" His voice sounded strangled, foreign and thick with sadness. She looked at him through her lashes.

His hazel eyes sparkled with unshed tears. His lips were parted slightly, twisting his usual cheery expression into a heartbroken frown. His shoulders-usually so prim and proper-were actually shrugged down in a defeated manner.

"Do you like spending time with me?" He asked sincerely, causing her mouth to pop open automatically.

"What? Ben-"

"Do I make you happy?"

"Of course-"

"If you truly truly hate it here, if you truly don't feel anything for me, even standing right here, in front of Carlos and Dude, I am willing to let you go if I don't make you happy. I am willing to give up the only girl in the world who makes me feel important because of who I am and not my crown, if she doesn't feel like she's happy being with me."

"Ben, you're being ridiculous." She scoffed, earning his eyebrows to shoot up in surprise.

"At the end of the day, after the dress and the shoes come off...and your hair is no longer blonde, and you're standing there on the Isle, alone...you won't remember the press or the cameras or the dress fittings. You'll remember the time you spent with the people you care about. Because the shoes and the dress and the hair dye are all just things, Mal. Things we can change. Things we can compromise with the council on. If hair dye and shoes and dresses are the things that are going to take you away from me...then they shouldn't be. If you like me for me, and I really like you for being you, then why can't we figure out a solution to the problem. If that means you dye your hair back to purple, then I'll be the one holding your hand while someone applies the dye. If that means standing up against the council and rebelling against royal dress code, so be it. Because those things shouldn't be the reason I'm losing you. If anything, I want something stupid I did to be the reason you walk away."

"Yeah, like forgetting study dates. Don't you have a calendar for that?" Mal laughed at the dog's pitiful attempt at lightening the mood.

"You're not helping, Dude." Carlos nuzzled his face into Dude's fur, hiding his blushing cheeks from sight. If there was ever a time Carlos was more embarrassed than this, the younger boy could not remember. "I'm gonna go take him for a walk." He mumbled, keeping his face hidden in Dude's fur. Getting a front row seat to Mal's love life was SO not what he signed up for this morning. He'd rather be on the end of Evie's needle and thread than watch Mal and Ben work through their very personal issues. "So, uh...good luck I guess." He wasted no time high tailing it down the hallway, the door shutting with a loud creak behind him.

"Ben, it's not you. You are kind, and funny, and nice, and so caring." She stopped, hesitating so she could choose her words wisely. "I can't keep acting like I'm somebody I'm not. And the cameras and the press and the microphones and the dinners and the dresses-I want to be able to walk out of my dorm room in my paint splattered pants and a can of spray paint and be myself without having the whole world of Auradon watching my every move. I'm the daughter of the most notorious villain and everyone keeps holding their breath waiting for me to make a mistake so they can all grab their torches and pitchforks and tell me how evil I am because of who my other is and where I came from. I want to be able to hug you or hold your hand without seeing my face plastered on every magazine and computer screen on campus." She dropped her gaze to her shoes. "I can't keep living my life this way. And I think that means I can't be dating you."

Her eyes rose to study his reaction.

His fingers trembled as they rested balled by his sides. The muscles in his arms vibrated and the turquoise of his veins gradually began to become more prominent. Soft rumbles paired with the rapid heaving of his chest. His jaw ticked; every movement his body made happened to be a jerk or a twitch. His upper lip curled back to expose his ivory teeth that gleamed in the sunlight. His nose scrunched up in anger. And his eyes...his eyes began to shift from a warm honey hazel into a rich dark mocha.

"Ben?" She called his name tentatively, unsure of the change in his behavior.

"They wait outside your dorm room?" The question came out a low growl, and with it came a flash of black dancing across the mocha of his eyes.

"Ben, that's not the point." A deeper grumble found its way rumbling through the air like thunder.

"Those people are not allowed in here. They're not allowed to be around what's mine." His tongue glided over his top teeth. "Those people are going to wish they adhered to Fairy Godmother...to me."

"You need to take a deep breath-"

"They will not hurt you anymore." He growled, his fingers uncurling from his fists. A look of determination crossed his face and he stormed past her in his fit of rage.

"Ben!" She shouted, cursing her heels for slowing her down as she scrambled to follow his menacing and predatory footsteps. "Ben wait!" But still, he continued walking. His brisk pace was nothing more than a slow jog compared to his determined path of was half-way down the stairs by the time Mal stood at the top. Frantic and worried about his next move, she inhaled deeply. "I love you."

Those three words ricochet down the empty staircase. Time came to a screeching halt, as did his footsteps down the stairs. He froze, though she knew he heard her.

"I love you." She repeated, courage gaining with each second he stood still on the steps. "I've been so afraid of my feelings for so long and I hid them under the anxiety of being this perfect princess I'm not. On the Isle, feelings are seen as weakness. But in Auradon, they are seen as strength. I have been so confused about who's voice in my head I should listen to...when I should've been listening to mine all along." So, in hindsight maybe a staircase wasn't the greatest choice for declaring something so grand, but it's not like Mal actually had a choice when her boyfriend would rather be hunting paparazzi. "I love you, Ben. I love everything about you. I love the way you smile at me from across the room when you think I'm not looking. I love how you leave post-it notes with awful doodles of stick figure dragons and lions on them around my locker because you know it makes me laugh. I love the way your bedhead sticks to your pillow sometimes because you're too tired to shower after your late-night emergency meetings. I love it when you get so protective of me you're willing to do whatever it takes to make sure I can't get hurt. But most of all...I love the way you love me, so openly and accepting of all my flaws and imperfections, regardless of what other people might think. You are not afraid to show me how much you love me...even if that means I have to go back to the Isle to figure things out on my own." She carefully walked down the stairs, one at a time in those stupid high heels, until she was standing on the step above him. "But it looks like I don't have to do that anymore. Because a big stupid dumb beast made me fall in love with him. And I can't live on an island where I can't see his hideous face for even a second." She swallowed nervously. "So will you turn around and look at me? Will you look into the eyes of the girl who loves you?"

With a huffing noise, he complied. He took his time turning around, building up the suspense as much as possible. When he finally saw her face, a low whine bubbled in the back of his throat.

"They hurt you."

"I know. But hurting them isn't the answer to this problem." His lips fell into a pout, his big chocolate brown eyes melting her heart with his look of disappointment.

"Just one little warning?" He tilted his head to the side, reminiscent of Dude whenever the dog tried to earn extra treats by acting all innocent and pleading. "To get them to back off?"

"You and I both know the press would have a field day with you like this."

"Just one little warning?"

"No!" She laughed, shaking her head. "Now how do we get you to turn back? I don't think I can handle any more cuteness. I may throw up."

His chest rumbled, almost like laughter. He raised his arms out in front of him and tilted his head to the side.

"What?" She asked, not understanding what he wanted.

"Come here." He jerked his head, motioning for her to lean in.

Rolling her eyes, she leaned forward. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close against his body. He buried his nose into the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent. Slowly, his body began to relax and his breathing slowed into a normal human rhythm. Meanwhile, she wrapped her arms around his neck to support her and to keep her from falling forward.

All too soon, he pulled his head away from her neck. She gently lowered her arms, however he kept his around her waist. A tired look briefly flashed across his face before his face contorted into an ashamed frown.

"I am sorry for how those reporters are behaving. After tonight you won't have to worry about them stalking you anymore."

"You won't go all beastly on them, will you?" She raised an eyebrow teasingly, causing him to blush and cough in embarrassment.

"No. Something much more formal and appropriate of a king."

"Such a shame. I'm sure Auradon would've loved to see their King attacking his subjects."

"Speaking of love, I know I said it first and I know it really confused you, and I am very happy to know you love me."

"Why do I get the feeling there's a but coming somewhere in there." Her eyes narrowed playfully.

"But, I meant what I said about compromising with the council. My Lady of the Court should be allowed to wear whatever she wants. Hair dye included."

"Are you sure you want to cause such a scandal?" He smirked at her question, his eyes light and mischievous.

"For you? Anything's worth it."

* * *

"If I could have everyone's attention." Ben tapped the microphone on the podium in the center of the stage. Mal stood powerful and calm beside him, her blank expression reminding him of her first day in Auradon.

His eyes scanned the crowd of photographers, cameras, and reporters. Press conferences were few and far between, however a couple phone calls from the King of Auradon sent everyone dropping their current projects and rushing straight over to the large conference room in the heart of downtown Auradon.

"I have a few things I would like to address before I take questions." A gentle hush fell over the crowd. "It has come to my attention that some of you have been trespassing on Auradon Prep grounds. Fairy Godmother and I have explained twice how you are not to step foot into the dormitory building. Nor are you allowed to step foot up the stairs, or wait for my Lady of the Court outside of her dorm room. Anyone caught doing that again will be arrested and charged with trespassing on personal property.

"You also are not allowed to stalk her from place to place. You may take a few photos from a distance but that is it. Mal requests privacy and I stand by her decision.

"You also are no longer allowed to take photos of my Lady of the Court unless it is a formal function or a press conference where she has given consent to having her photo taken. No consent, no picture."

The crowd roared to life at that statement, most openly objecting and talking over each other in their haste to get their voices heard.

"We will now be taking questions." He stepped back from the microphone, allowing his ears and eyes a break from the rowdy group of adults in front of him. Mal squeezed his hand and he squeezed back, accepting her reassurance. Her blonde locks moved from side to side when her eyes scanned the crowd of bickering adults in front of them.

"King Benjamin." A short bald man spoke into a tape recorder. "What caused you to make these decisions?"

"Mal's safety is my priority." He replied, bombarded by more questions.

"Is it true you recently lashed out at a fellow reporter?"

"That is false. I have done no such thing." Mal laughed, disguising it as a cough and earning a small twitch of his lips at her response.

"Why are you taking action now?"

"Because I cannot stand idly by while watching my girlfriend get hurt by your harassment and bullying. Boundaries are needed and they have been set. Failure to comply will result in arrest. No more questions."

"Mal, are you worried some reporters won't abide by King Benjamin's rules?"

"No. I'm not. Those that do break the rules should know better. This isn't the Isle. Auradon is supposed to be better than that."

"Mal, is it true you're thinking about dying your hair? And to what color?"

"Well, I haven't decided yet, but I'll probably go back to purple." She smiled at Ben, catching him smiling down at her. "It seems to be my lucky color."


End file.
